Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Amnesty International –

Angolan women and children displaced by drought into Namibia face serious human rights abuses arising from a lack of safe and legal migration pathways for people forced across borders by natural disasters, Amnesty International said in a new report. 

The report, “The Drier it Gets, the Longer You Have to Walk: The Human Rights Impacts of Drought-Induced Displacement on Angolan Women and Children in Namibia, documents the devastating consequences of recurrent drought in southern Angola and the human rights impacts experienced by those displaced into Namibia, including persistent fear of arrest, detention and deportation, which in turn influences their daily decisions about whether to seek healthcare and other services.  

“Namibian authorities must establish a rights-based approach to migration, ensuring that people displaced by drought and other natural disasters can access basic rights, including registration and documentation.” Said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

“The protection of already marginalized Angolans who are forced to move to Namibia in search of livelihoods is not just a humanitarian concern. This is a human rights crisis that demands international solidarity, including legal protection against refoulement,” said Tigere Chagutah.

Namibian authorities must establish a rights-based approach to migration,ensuring that people displaced by drought and other natural disasters can access basic rights, including registration and documentation.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

Between May 2024 and May 2026, Amnesty International interviewed at least 167 people, including displaced people, community leaders, government officials, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), academics, and members of the UN Country Team.

At the time of publication, Nambian government officials had not responded to Amnesty International’s request for comment.

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

BANGKOK, THAILAND (September 2, 2026) – As Thailand prepares to serve as the main host of Gastech 2026 in Bangkok from 14-17 September, the event comes at a critical moment for the country’s energy future and the wider energy transition across Asia. At a time when governments must accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels, Gastech risks becoming a platform for new fossil gas deals and infrastructure that could lock Thailand and other Asian economies into decades of fossil gas dependence. 

Greenpeace organizations across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia are calling on the governments and companies attending Gastech 2026 to reject further fossil gas expansion and accelerate investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage and a modernised power grid. As a host, Thailand has an opportunity to show regional leadership by strengthening energy security through renewable, affordable and resilient energy systems rather than deepening dependence on fossil gas.

Arifsyah Nasution, Program Director at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said:

“Asia’s rising electricity demand, particularly from industry and the buildings sector, compounded by the risk of further demand surges driven by data centers and AI, is placing unprecedented pressure on Asia Pacific’s regional power grids. Energy companies and governments must not weaponize this rising demand to justify further gas expansion that exposes consumers to volatile global fuel prices, fuelling climate disasters, and places additional environmental and social burdens on communities.”   

Thailand: Energy Security cannot mean greater fossil gas dependence

Manun Wongmasoh, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Thailand, said:

“Hosting Gastech 2026 must not mean handing Thailand over to the fossil gas lobby. The narrative that gas is a ‘bridge fuel’ or the answer to energy security is a dangerous myth that locks us into fossil fuels, blocks a genuine transition to renewable energy in line with net-zero goals, and exposes us to skyrocketing power bills and toxic pollution. Communities in Thailand’s eastern region are already bearing the brunt of fossil gas expansion and can’t afford further expansion of gas infrastructure, including LNG terminals, pipelines and gas-fired power plants. Instead of locking our power system into decades of corporate profit, decision-makers must accelerate a just transition to renewable energy and ensure that businesses respect human rights. This is the path to protecting local livelihoods, reducing people’s energy burdens, and putting people and their rights before the interests of the fossil fuel industry.  

East Asia’s AI Energy Surge and Public Finance Fueling Global Fossil-Gas Lock-in 

Yeonho Yang, Senior Climate & Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, said: 

“East Asia’s rising electricity demand cannot be used as a blank cheque for fossil-gas expansion. Gastech must not become a platform for the gas industry to use AI, data centers and advanced manufacturing to legitimize new LNG infrastructure or rebrand fossil-fuel finance as ‘transition finance’. Governments must direct public finance towards genuine renewable energy expansion, energy storage, grid modernization and efficiency, to power their digital growth while cutting emissions and protecting affected communities.” 

Australia’s export responsibility for regional climate and nature impacts

Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“From toxic chemical emissions to pollution and nature destruction, Australian gas exports threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities along the supply chain. While the world is clearly ready to move away from volatile, expensive, dirty gas, multinational gas corporations like Woodside Energy, which are speaking at Gastech, have different plans: they want to hook in new customers across Asia, and lock us into a future of climate disasters, nature destruction and pollution. There’s no future in gas. We need to fast-track the rollout of clean homegrown renewable energy and protect our communities from the energy shocks and climate change fuelled by the corporations at Gastech.”

A Regional choice for Asia’s energy future 

From gas-producing countries like Australia to major energy markets across East Asia and Southeast Asia, the impacts of fossil gas expansion extend across borders and along the entire supply chain. Gastech 2026 should not be used to justify another generation of fossil gas infrastructure while communities bear the economic, environmental and climate cost. Asia’s rising energy demand must be met without locking the region into a fossil fuel future.

END

Notes:

Thailand: Fossil gas dependence and the ambition to become a regional LNG hub

For Thailand, where fossil gas dominates approximately 60% of the country’s generated electricity, these risks are particularly significant as the country seeks to position itself as a regional LNG hub. Further investment in gas import terminals, pipelines and gas-fired power plants would deepen its reliance on imported fossil fuels. 

Communities in Thailand’s eastern region, including Rayong, Chachoengsao and Prachinburi provinces, are already raising concerns over cumulative pollution, pressure on natural resources and impacts on livelihoods. Gastech should therefore be an opportunity to question whether greater fossil gas dependence can genuinely deliver energy security, affordable electricity and a just energy transition.

East Asia: Rising electricity demand and public finance

Across East Asia, rapid growth in AI, data centers, and semiconductor manufacturing is intensifying pressure on electricity systems, particularly in fossil fuel-reliant Taiwan and South Korea. Taiwan raised its electricity-demand forecast in June, citing semiconductor and AI data-centre growth, and plans to add 25.98 gigawatts(GW) of thermal capacity by 2035—largely gas-fired. South Korea’s three mega AI projects could require an additional 27GW of power by 2040, raising concerns that LNG and other fossil fuels will be used to meet rising demand. 

Japan and South Korea are also major providers of public finance and export support for overseas fossil-fuel projects. Japanese public institutions provided approximately US$93 billion for overseas oil and gas projects from 2013 to 2024, nearly four times the amount for renewables. South Korean export-finance agencies committed approximately US$44.4 billion to overseas energy projects between 2020 and 2024, with 74.5% supporting fossil fuels. By financing gas terminals, pipelines and export facilities across Southeast Asia and beyond, both countries risk locking the region into long-term fossil-fuel dependence and undermining efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Australia: Fossil gas exports and the regional supply chain

Australia is the world’s third-largest gas exporter, with a significant amount of its gas production sent to East Asia and Southeast Asia markets, where it is associated with climate and environmental impacts across the supply chain. As Australian gas fields decline and major trading partners in East Asia reduce their demand, the upstream gas industry is increasingly looking to emerging Asia markets for future demand. 

Multinational gas corporations, like Woodside Energy,  presenting at Gastech, seek to hook customers in new markets like Thailand to replace declining demand.  Expanding gas in Asia will mean more gas drilling in Australia, including Woodside’s Browse proposal to drill up to 57 oil and gas wells at Scott Reef, which risks a pristine marine ecosystem, and would emit 1.6 billion tonnes of climate pollution over its lifetime.

These developments highlight how decisions about new gas infrastructure and the long-term supply chain in Asia can have implications across the wider gas supply chain. At the same time, renewable energy, energy storage, grid modernisation and other clean energy solutions provide alternative pathways for meeting the region’s growing electricity demand while reducing reliance on fossil gas.

Media contacts: 

Somrudee Panasudtha, Senior Communications Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Thailand Office),  +66 81 929 5747, [email protected]

Yujie Xue, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, +852 5127 3416, [email protected]

Lucy Keller, Senior Communications Advisor, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, +61 491 135 308, [email protected]

Source: Amnesty International –

Reacting to reports that Russian national Denis Kulanin remains in detention after he was pardoned by the president on 28 August, and amid concerns that he could be deported to Russia, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:

“Denis Kulanin has publicly opposed Russia’s war against Ukraine and expressed support for Aleksei Navalny – both of which are regarded as crimes and punishable by prison in Russia. The Georgian authorities must ensure that he is not deported to Russia, where in the current climate of severe repression of anti-war dissent, he could face a real risk of arbitrary prosecution and imprisonment, torture or other ill-treatment.”

“Georgia is bound by the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the transfer of any person to a country where they would face a genuine risk of serious human rights violations. The Georgian authorities must also ensure that Denis Kulanin can effectively seek international protection, including to leave voluntarily for a safe third country.”

The Georgian authorities must also ensure that Denis Kulanin can effectively seek international protection, including to leave voluntarily for a safe third country

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director

Background

On 1 September, Denis Kulanin was due to leave Georgia voluntarily for Armenia, after his lawyers submitted his flight ticket, passport and boarding pass to the court and the Temporary Accommodation Centre where he is held, following his pardon by the president on 28 August. He was one of nine people pardoned in connection with protest-related convictions. He had been serving a two-year prison sentence imposed on 4 June 2025 for damaging a police vehicle during a protest in Tbilisi on 28 March 2025.

Following his pardon, Tbilisi City Court placed him in the Temporary Accommodation Centre of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs pending a further court hearing on his deportation from Georgia. This has deprived him of an opportunity to leave Georgia for Armenia voluntarily and raised concerns that the authorities are planning to hand him over to Russia instead.

Source: Amnesty International –

The Republic of South Africa’s submission of evidence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) documenting Israel’s non-compliance with legally binding provisional orders issued by the court in the case concerning allegations of genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, must spur other states to pressure Israel to comply, Amnesty International said today.

In its submission to the ICJ, South Africa argues that Israel has failed to comply with the measures ordered by the court. This is consistent with Amnesty International’s findings that Israeli authorities have failed to implement the measures by continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, even after the so-called ceasefire of October 2025.

“Since the ICJ issued its first set of provisional measures in January 2024, Israeli authorities have continued to inflict irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza protected under the Genocide Convention, in utter disregard of the court’s orders and its legal obligations under international law. Rather than complying with the court’s mandatory measures, Israel is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

The South African submission is an outlier in a crowded field of states who have failed to take action to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and in some cases enabled it.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

“The South African submission is an outlier in a crowded field of states who have failed to take action to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and in some cases enabled it. Many third states have helped sustain Israel’s impunity, some by failing to take any effective measures to enforce the Court’s binding provisional measures, and others also by actively providing the diplomatic cover, financial resources and material support that have enabled Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. All the while the international community has continued its apathy in the face of Israel’s unlawful occupation and system of apartheid, including its ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians in Area C of the occupied West Bank.”

The Israeli authorities continue to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction, in whole or in part, by imposing severe restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential supplies, including sufficient medical supplies and equipment, nutritiously diverse food, adequate amounts of fuel, and necessary reconstruction and repair material, all while curtailing the lifesaving work of humanitarian agencies. This violates the court’s January 2024 order to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance,” which was reiterated in March and May 2024.

“By killing Palestinian media workers documenting its violations in Gaza and blocking international media, human rights investigators and UN-mandated bodies from accessing the Gaza Strip as well as denying the International Committee for the Red Cross access to Palestinian detainees – despite a ruling of its own Supreme Court – Israel continues to mask the full horror of its unlawful conduct in Gaza and violates the ICJ’s order to preserve evidence related to allegations of acts of genocide,” said Heba Morayef.

“By failing to investigate, let alone prosecute, any high-ranking politician who issued genocidal statements and emboldening the ongoing spread of dehumanizing rhetoric by senior Israeli politicians, Israel continues to violate the order to prevent and punish public incitement to genocide.”

Despite some improvements in the humanitarian situation and a reduction in the scale and intensity of attacks since the so-called ceasefire, deadly Israeli air strikes, large-scale destruction of civilian objects, mass forced displacement and killings continue. At least 1,303 Palestinians, including over 300 children, have been killed by Israeli attacks since the so-called ceasefire of October 2025.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are living with life-changing physical injuries and mental harm, requiring long-term treatment and rehabilitation denied to Gaza. With nearly the entirety of Gaza’s population displaced, many on multiple occasions, Israel is exacerbating the shelter crisis it engineered by blocking the reconstruction process and deploying its troops and local militias across nearly 65% of the Gaza Strip, preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes and lands east of the so-called “yellow line,” the ever-shifting, expanding demarcation line splintering Gaza.  

“This grim reality underscores the urgent need for protecting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and ensuring that Israel immediately comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention,” said Heba Morayef.

“All states must pressure Israel to end violations of international law, push for the implementation of the ICJ’s provisional measures, stop arms transfers and military assistance and end trade or economic relations that contribute to the unlawful occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in accordance with the ICJ’s July 2024 Advisory Opinion. In particular, Amnesty calls on South Africa to suspend any trade agreements with Israel that may risk contributing so human rights violations, including seaborne thermal coal shipments.”

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

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Source: Amnesty International –

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Jakarta / Kuala Lumpur, 24 August 2026 – Greenpeace Indonesia and Greenpeace Malaysia are calling for stronger, more transparent and coordinated emergency action to stop the forest and land fires that have once again triggered transboundary haze between Indonesia and Malaysia.

This year’s crisis once again shows that haze is not simply a matter of wind direction or weather. The wind may carry smoke across borders, but the root of the problem lies in recurring fires—particularly in vulnerable forests and peatlands—and the failure to ensure effective prevention and law enforcement.

Greenpeace Indonesia’s monitoring from 11–16 August 2026 recorded 592 hotspots across Kalimantan, with 455 of them located on peatlands. The hotspots included 322 in West Kalimantan, 181 in Central Kalimantan, and 86 in South Kalimantan. Based on regional monitoring and cross-checking against meteorological data, smoke from fires in Kalimantan has repeatedly crossed the border into Sarawak and moved towards Kuching from early to mid-August.

The situation is increasingly alarming as communities in both countries are already experiencing the impacts of the haze. In Indonesia, fires and smoke have disrupted people’s lives and worsened air quality in several areas. In Malaysia, deteriorating air quality caused by transboundary haze has forced school closures in Sarawak. Recent reports also show that this year’s fires have spread widely, prompting the Indonesian government to increase the deployment of personnel and firefighting resources in Kalimantan.

Belgis Laela Noor Habiba, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia, said:
“People in Indonesia and Malaysia should not be forced to breathe toxic air every time the dry season arrives. We have seen the same cycle far too many times: fires grow, the sky disappears behind a blanket of smoke, schools close, public health is put at risk, and then everyone starts looking for someone to blame. What we need now is not finger-pointing, but to ensure that the fires are stopped, their causes are thoroughly investigated, and those responsible are genuinely held accountable.”

Greenpeace stresses that the wind is not the culprit. The wind simply carries smoke from fires that already exist. For this reason, the response cannot stop at emergency measures such as firefighting operations, water bombing or weather modification once fires have already spread. Governments must strengthen prevention on the ground, protect and rewet peatland ecosystems, ensure companies are accountable for their concessions and supply chains, and enforce the law without favour against individuals and corporations proven to have caused or allowed fires to occur.

This crisis also once again demonstrates that clean air knows no national borders. Communities in Pontianak, Palangkaraya and other affected areas face the same threat as people in Kuching and across Sarawak. They are all being denied their right to clean air because of failures to prevent fires that should have been anticipated.

Heng Kiah Chun, Country Representative of Greenpeace Malaysia, said:
“It is unfair that people in Malaysia are being asked to bear the health and social impacts of recurring haze while accountability for the fires remains an issue that has never been properly resolved. Cross-border solidarity means standing with communities in Indonesia, who are also victims, while firmly demanding accountability from all parties, including companies and investors, wherever they may be based , that are linked to forest destruction and fires.”

Greenpeace Indonesia and Greenpeace Malaysia have previously documented the recurring pattern of transboundary haze in their joint report, The ASEAN Haze Trauma, which shows that the impacts of forest and peatland fires have been felt by communities across Southeast Asia, while links between fires and companies from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore remain a critical issue in the fight for justice and accountability.

Greenpeace Indonesia and Greenpeace Malaysia therefore call for:

1. The Indonesian government to immediately prioritise stopping the fires and protecting affected communities, including by ensuring that all necessary resources are available for firefighting and prevention efforts.
2. Transparent and impartial law enforcement against all parties proven to be involved in forest and land burning, including corporations and those who profit from clearing land through the use of fire.
3. Comprehensive audits and investigations into concessions and companies in fire-affected areas, as well as full public disclosure of information on fire hotspots, concession ownership, law enforcement processes and sanctions imposed.
4. The Malaysian government to strengthen measures to protect public health while ensuring that Malaysian companies and business interests operating in, or linked to, fire-prone areas are not exempt from accountability.
5. The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, together with ASEAN member states, to strengthen cooperation on fire prevention and cross-border accountability. The haze crisis cannot be resolved through diplomacy only after the smoke has arrived; the region needs stronger mechanisms to prevent, investigate and hold those responsible for transboundary pollution to account.

“It is time we stop treating haze as a seasonal disaster that people simply have to accept. Every year, we know the dry season is coming. We know that peatlands are highly vulnerable to fire. We know that smoke will endanger millions of people and can cross national borders. If we already know all of this, then the failure to prevent it is no longer merely a technical problem, it is a failure of political will and accountability,” concludes Belgis.

Greenpeace Indonesia and Greenpeace Malaysia stress that people in both countries do not need cross-border disputes. They need clean air, protected forests and peatlands, and the assurance that those responsible for causing this crisis cannot continue to escape accountability.

Haze does not carry a passport. Its impacts do not stop at national borders. Neither should the responsibility to stop it.

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

KOROR, PALAU, Monday 31 August 2026 — As Pacific leaders gather for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau from today, Greenpeace Australia Pacific is urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand with Pacific family by keeping Pacific needs at the heart of negotiations, backing longstanding Pacific leadership, supporting Pacific energy sovereignty and ocean custodianship, and holding the line on 1.5°C.

Against the backdrop of tense geopolitical turmoil, increasingly frequent and lethal extreme weather disasters, the threat of deep sea mining and an energy crisis driven by fossil fuel dependence, the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) is a critical moment for Pacific nations to unite with Pacific needs central to regional dialogue.

The climate crisis, security, the opportunities of renewable energy in the Pacific, ocean protection, and the shifting political landscape will be the focus of the Forum’s discussions.

Speaking from Palau, Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“The Pacific Islands Forum is the most important multilateral forum in our region, unifying the Pacific under increasingly turbulent global circumstances. We are urging Forum members, including Australia, to not lose focus of Pacific priorities of climate and oceans amid noise and external pressures at this year’s meeting.

“It is very clear that the greatest security threat to our region is climate change and the only way we can address that is through a just transition away from fossil fuels. Regional cooperation is an antidote to climate chaos and geopolitical tension – together, our region can be guided by Pacific nations’ legacy of leadership from the frontlines of the climate crisis, as we build a more peaceful and secure world.

“This year’s Forum will set the stage as we build momentum toward COP31 and a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific. Australia must back Pacific energy sovereignty as a solution to the compounding threats facing our region, including soaring costs of living and increasingly lethal extreme weather disasters, and resist the militarisation of our oceans, deep sea mining, and power politics.

“We must not lose sight of what is needed. The regional adoption of Pacific-led solutions, a Pacific pre-COP with focus on advancing the just transition away from fossil fuels and community-targeted finance for strong and resilient futures beyond fossil fuels must be the foundations of this year’s Forum discussion. What we need now is stronger political will.”

Also in Palau, Dr Simon Bradshaw, COP31 Lead and climate expert at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“Prime Minister Albanese faces a major test of Australia’s climate credibility and Pacific partnership this week. We cannot be a friend to the Pacific and continue to expand fossil fuel production. The best way for Australia to remain the Pacific’s security partner of choice is to act faster on the Pacific’s number one security concern — climate change.

“The Albanese Government has approved at least five new coal and gas projects since the last Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, and 36 since being elected, every one of which increases the threats to life, security and sovereignty facing Pacific communities.

“Nowhere in the world are the dangers of fossil fuels or the benefits of renewable energy clearer than in the Pacific, which faces the double blow of climate disasters and expensive fuel imports.

“Australia, as incoming President of Negotiations for COP31, has a responsibility to follow the Pacific’s lead, embrace the vision of a resilient Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, and do everything possible to keep 1.5°C alive. Doing so would establish Australia as a highly effective middle power, a force for good in troubled times, and a true ally and partner to the Pacific.”

—ENDS—

Greenpeace Australia Pacific has delegates from the Pacific and Australia at the PIFLM in Palau available for interview

Source: Oxfam –

Speaking ahead of the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland today and tomorrow, September 1-2, Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO said: 

“Compliance with international law cannot depend on Israel’s electoral calendar. EU governments cannot keep on finding new reasons to delay while these illegal settlements continue to expand, amid escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. 

“EU countries already acknowledged in July that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The law is clear on that. Which begs the question – why then is the EU still not prepared to act?  

“No decision can be taken when the informal meeting of foreign ministers takes place in Wicklow, but they can put the wheels in motion. Otherwise, this risks becoming another lap around the EU’s roundabout of indecision. 

“Action must not be deferred until peace talks conclude or election results emerge.  Peace talks and elections do not change the law, or the violent, oppressive conditions Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory face daily under Israel’s illegal occupation. The EU knows its legal obligations; what is missing is the political will to act on them. 

“The EU has already acknowledged that current measures do not stop goods from illegal settlements from entering the European market. Anything short of a ban allows settlement trade to continue through the back door and onto European shelves.  

“There is a technical point with major political consequences: how the measure is brought forward. A settlement trade ban should be brought forward as a trade measure under Article 207, where qualified majority voting is the general rule. Requiring unanimity risks handing every government a veto and producing yet another EU deadlock. 

“The EU should stop contradicting itself, and end trade in goods, services and investments with illegal Israeli settlements. Anything less is failing to address longstanding international legal obligations. 

“Banning trade with illegal settlements is the bare minimum requirement, and the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be the next step in halting the continued injustices.” 

Ends 

 

 

Source: Amnesty International –

Reacting to a growing number of reports that Belarusian authorities are persecuting, intimidating and targeting students and others connected to the European Humanities University (EHU) in Vilnius, Lithuania, as part of their efforts to repress dissent beyond Belarus’ borders, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“As the new academic year begins, the Belarusian authorities’ relentless campaign against the exiled European Humanities University has taken a disturbing new turn, intensifying its assault on the rights to education, freedom of expression and academic freedom. This campaign of intimidation is no longer confined to students and others connected to the independent Belarusian university in Lithuania. They now extend to relatives and associates in Belarus, illustrating how the authorities’ brazen repressive tactics reach far beyond the country’s borders.”

“Mounting reports show that dozens of people in Belarus are subjected to searches, interrogations, detention and threats, and forced to pressure their loved ones to quit the university and return to Belarus.

“The authorities have already designated the EHU as an ‘extremist organization’ and are increasingly targeting those associated with it. The expanding scope of these measures raises concerns that the authorities may seek to pursue further action, including through a demonstrative ‘anti-extremism’ trial involving students, graduates, staff and their relatives.

The expanding scope of these measures raises concerns that the authorities may seek to pursue further action, including through a demonstrative ‘anti-extremism’ trial involving students, graduates, staff and their relatives

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“The Belarusian authorities must stop this campaign of persecution and remove the absurd and detrimental label of ‘extremist organizations’ from the EHU and other civil society groups. Meanwhile, the international community must make every effort to put pressure on the Belarusian government to stop its crackdown on human rights. Lithuanian authorities must also promptly and effectively investigate all allegations of human rights abuses against EHU students.”

Background

Founded in Minsk in 1992 as an independent private university, the EHU was stripped of its license by the Belarusian authorities in 2004 and forced to relocate to Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2005. On 14 April 2026, the Supreme Court of Belarus banned the EHU, designating it an “extremist organization” for allegedly “encroaching on the sovereignty of Belarus, the foundations of the constitutional order and public security.”

Between 2 and 4 June 2026, Belarusian security forces conducted coordinated searches and interrogations across the country targeting EHU affiliates and their families. Belarusian Human Rights Centre Viasna documented over 60 searches, noting that investigators were threatening individuals with “extremism”-related charges, including retrospectively, in relation to payments to the EHU dating back to 2016. Several people, including relatives of EHU students, have reportedly been briefly detained in connection with the crackdown. By 17 August, Viasna had identified at least 175 people affected by this campaign.

Former and current EHU students interviewed by the BBC described how, while in Belarus, they were threatened by State Security Committee (KGB) officers, pressured to become secret informants, detained incommunicado and interrogated. They also reported that relatives in Belarus had been threatened with criminal prosecution unless students abroad withdrew from the EHU or returned to Belarus.

The Belarusian authorities began expansively designating civil society groups as “extremist” in mid-2022. Their list includes now 376 “extremist formations and organizations,” 19 of which are groups operating abroad, including the Union of Belarusians in Britain, the Association of Belarusian Businesses Abroad, the Belarusian PEN Centre and the network of “People’s Embassies” run by exiled Belarusian political activists.